Times are tough, even in the world of romantic comedies. In Umberto Carteni’s “The Love Scam,” two brothers in Naples face almost certain eviction just as Vito (Antonio Folletto) tries to secure solo custody of his son after his partner left for her home country. His brother, Antonello (Vincenzo Nemolato), a lovable but irresponsible goof, ignored bills that have now put their family’s old home in the hands of a wealthy developer. In an effort to stay in the home their grandfather built and not lose custody of Vito’s infant son Napoleon, the two men devise a scheme to woo the daughter of the developer, Marina (Laura Adriani), in order to pay off her father’s company with their own money–but only if Vito can transform into Carlo, a wealthy man-about-town looking for investors for his phony charity. 

Mistaken identity and lying to impress a potential partner is a well-tread territory in the rom-com genre. For instance, Tom Hanks tries to hide his identity from Meg Ryan in their enemies-into-lovers internet-age classic “You’ve Got Mail.” James Stewart hid his identity even though he knew Margaret Sullavan was his long-suffering pen pal in the original 1940 film version of this beloved story, “The Shop Around the Corner.” Robert Downey Jr. pretends to be someone he’s not to spend time with Marisa Tomei in Rome in Norman Jewison’s “Only You.” Even in the Disney version of “Aladdin,” our hero pretends he’s a rich suitor to get close to his love interest, Jasmine, even though the opulent act isn’t what she’s really interested in. Although this familiar trope of courting by deception might inspire horror in any real-life situation, somehow it still works because they’re still making these kinds of movies. Maybe the reveal is so innocuously satisfying that the audience knows something one of the other characters doesn’t. Then, we watch our heroes make the right choices and fall in love despite the odds–at least until the credits roll. 

Although “The Love Scam” follows these recognizable story beats, it ends up feeling deceptively charming thanks to its cast and crew. Writers Caterina Salvadori and Ciro Zecca manage to fit in a few surprises, overthrowing our expectations along the way to the anticipated ending. Director Carteni captures a nuanced view of Southern Italy, showing off its natural beauty, idyllic sunsets, and historic art and architecture, but also the struggles that some of Vito and Antonello’s neighbors endure as their home crumbles around them. Carteni leads a cast of endearing performers, all of whom work well together even when the narrative gets a little silly. 

As Vito and Carlo, Folletto juggles the duties of two different personas with a few eccentric quirks and fatherhood duties in between. He acts so effortlessly, even when his character feels self-conscious; you can see Adriani’s Marina let her guard down in real-time. Their chemistry makes this movie memorable. Her character is flustered with expectations and stress, so to watch her grow from a frightening boss to a down-to-earth character who embraces life is a thrill, allowing Adriani to show off her range. I was less enamored by the storyline that Marina’s true dream was to become a chef over a businesswoman. While that fits with the genre’s sometimes more conservative gendered expectations, the writers incorporate it by giving Vito the night cleaning shift at a restaurant he then tries to pass off as his own to entice her to cook with him, so it feels less like a lesson in returning to domesticity. Although they feature heavily in the beginning, Vito’s brother Antonello and Napoleon step aside when Carlo begins to win over Marina’s attention. Still, the odd pairing of an ill-equipped uncle and adorable baby makes for some good jokes. In addition to Marina’s initial no-nonsense personality, her suspicious boyfriend Federico (Loris De Luna) is the power-hungry foil to Folletto’s kindhearted, would-be scammer. It gives him something of an invisible enemy to fight for Marina’s love.

While “The Love Scam” isn’t breaking new rom-com ground, it sufficiently checks the expected boxes and features a formidable romantic pair with Folletto and Adriani. The scam-within-a-scam house of cards narrative is just scaffolding for the movie’s real stars. Although many recent romantic movies also use cutesy gimmicks for their backdrop, their leads lack the heat to deliver something resembling a believable yet expected happy ending. In “The Love Scam,” there are scenes where Vito longingly looks at Marina in such a way that we understand why she would give this stranger the time of day, why they bring out the best in each other, and why we want to keep watching to see what happens to them, even if we kind of already know where their story is headed. Adding just a dash more sincerity than your average streaming romantic movie goes a long way. 

On Netflix now.